David Martindale hopes Livingston can take confidence from tasting victory for the first time in 14 games with their 2-1 Scottish Cup win over Raith Rovers.
The Lions are six points adrift at the bottom of the Premiership and have not won in the league since October.
But they are in the draw for the fifth round of the cup after Jamie Brandon cancelled out Jack Hamilton’s early opener for Raith and Dan MacKay’s header settled the tie in the 82nd minute.
Martindale was full of praise for his players.
He said: “I hope there is going to be a bump from it, momentum is huge in football.
“Results breed confidence. Hopefully the players can take some credit, I think we’ve played better and been beaten.
“If Raith had taken their chances early doors they might have been out of sight.
“I do think the players have to take huge credit.
“I thought we started the game unbelievably bad. We went a goal behind and were lucky not to be two behind. We got the penalty and missed that.
“At that point, it would have been really easy for the players to feel sorry for themselves, especially with the run we had been on.
“But, from that minute onwards, I think the players have to take huge credit. They found a way to win a game of football and they did that, nothing to do with Davie Martindale, the staff, tactics, formations.”
Livi won without the services of star attacker Joel Nouble, who Martindale revealed had been left out following a bid from a club in England.
He added: “I’ve had a wee bit of interest in Noubs from two teams in League One in England. There’s two teams in the Scottish Prem too.
“A club from down south put an offer in yesterday and it’s not a million miles away from where I think we need to be.
“I went back to them and explained that and said, ‘look if you tidy up that, tidy up that I reckon we can get this done’.
“I spoke to Joel, he was a bit disappointed that I was pulling him out of the squad but I felt it was unfair on him and potentially us.”
Meanwhile, Raith manager Ian Murray reckons his side should have won and hopes pushing top-flight opposition so hard will inspire them in their Championship title race with Dundee United.
Following a draw with Kilmarnock and defeat to Hibernian in the Viaplay Cup earlier in the campaign, he said: “I think days like this whet the appetite for where we want to be.
“Every time we’ve played Premiership sides this season it’s been really tight and once again we put so much into this one.
“We created a lot of chances and didn’t take them – some of the misses were unfortunate, some of them were poor.
“Against this higher level of opposition, though, you need to be more clinical.
“That’s the bottom line in cup competitions. We could have been ahead before we scored and then in the second-half I thought we were better than them.”
Bologna 3-3 Juventus: Bianconeri hit back in Motta's job interview
Juventus scored three goals in eight minutes to complete a remarkable comeback and secure a 3-3 draw against Serie A's surprise package Bologna on Monday.
The Bianconeri, who sacked Massimiliano Allegri last week, endured a nightmare start as Riccardo Calafiori and Santiago Castro propelled hosts Bologna into a 2-0 lead within 11 minutes.
Matters got worse for Bianconeri interim boss Paolo Montero when Calafiori struck again eight minutes into the second half to put Bologna, coached by reported Juve target Thiago Motta, into a 3-0 lead, with the defender chipping the ball over goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny.
Yet Federico Chiesa's 76th-minute effort kickstarted a stunning turnaround, with Arkadiusz Milik's free-kick soon after teeing up a grandstand finale.
Kenan Yildiz was the player who sealed the draw, as Juve hit back against their potential next coach.
The result left third-placed Bologna level on 68 points with Juve in fourth before the final matchday.
Data Debrief: Three down? No problems
For the first time in their history, Juve avoided defeat in a Serie A game in which they had been at least three goals behind.
Chiesa was key to their comeback. Bologna are the team that the Italy international has scored the most league goals against in his career (seven in 11 matches).
Liverpool offer 'difficult to ignore', says Klopp's replacement Slot
Arne Slot said it was "not an easy decision" to leave Feyenoord, but ultimately he could not turn down the Liverpool job.
Liverpool finally confirmed Slot as Jurgen Klopp's successor on Monday.
Klopp signed off on his nine-year tenure in charge of Liverpool with a 2-0 win over Wolves on Sunday.
The German started an "Arne Slot" chant during his leaving speech at Anfield, and a day later, the Reds officially announced the 45-year-old Dutchman's appointment, subject to a work permit.
Slot led Feyenoord to the Eredivisie title during his time in charge, as well as the KNVB Beker, while they also reached the Europa Conference League final in 2022.
Speaking to Feyenoord's official website, Slot said: "It is certainly not an easy decision to close the door behind you at a club where you have experienced so many wonderful moments and worked successfully with so many wonderful people.
"But as a sportsman, an opportunity to become a head coach in the Premier League, at one of the biggest clubs in the world, is difficult to ignore.
"At the same time, we understand very well that working at a club like Liverpool is a special and unique opportunity for him. With that in mind, we started the conversation to see if we could find a solution together, and in the end we succeeded."
Feyenoord beat Excelsior in Feyenoord's final match in charge on Sunday.
Hojlund form gives Man Utd 'luxury problem' for FA Cup final, says Ten Hag
Rasmus Hojlund's return to form presents a "luxury problem" for Manchester United ahead of this weekend's FA Cup final against Manchester City, says Erik ten Hag.
Hojlund came off the bench to score United's second goal as they rounded off their Premier League campaign with a 2-0 win over Brighton and Hove Albion on Sunday, having also netted in last week's 3-2 victory over Newcastle United.
He finished his debut Premier League season with 10 goals, becoming the youngest player to reach double figures in 2023-24 (21 years, 105 days old as of Sunday).
Hojlund has battled injury problems and dips in form throughout the campaign, and in his absence, Ten Hag has often opted to deploy Bruno Fernandes as a false nine.
The Portugal international started United's last two matches in that position, and Ten Hag says he has plenty to think about as he prepares to name his cup final lineup.
"It is not a dilemma, it is a luxury problem," Ten Hag said.
"I think both formations can be a success because, as you know, we can play with the set-up from the Etihad, where we were a threat with Bruno's movement in behind.
"With Rasmus Hojlund in behind and in form, it is absolutely something we have to consider.
"Let's have a thought, but let's not say we only need 11 players. In a tough final, you need a bench as well."
Hojlund failed to score in his first 15 Premier League matches before ending his drought against Aston Villa on Boxing Day, though he did score five times in United's unsuccessful Champions League campaign before Christmas.
He has 16 goals across all competitions this term, which Ten Hag sees as a good effort when taking his fitness problems into account.
"It could always be better, but don't forget he had three injuries this season," Ten Hag said.
"He came in with an injury and missed the start, then he got injured before winter, and then got another injury after winter.
"Every time that has broken his rhythm. If you score 16 goals for a first season, it is okay, and remember it is also not over. We have the final too."
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